Hamilton, Whitfield Earn All-Star Honors
Spokane Chiefs center Trent Whitfield and defenseman Hugh Hamilton will be named to the West squad today when Western Hockey League all-star teams are announced at an Arena press conference.
Other Spokane players are expected to be included in the Jan. 22 game in Spokane, but Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz would confirm only Whitfield and Hamilton, who are playing in the World Junior Tournament with Team Canada.
“The guys who make that team always play in the all-star game,” Speltz said Thursday.
Sources say one other player who has been selected and will be announced at the 2:45 p.m. news conference is right wing Tyler Willis of Seattle.
The Chiefs, who open the second half of their WHL campaign Saturday night at home with the Kamloops Blazers, were happy with their line of Derek Schutz, Greg Leeb and Ty Jones in a 3-2 New Year’s Eve loss at Tri-City.
“That line dominated every time it was on the ice,” Speltz said. “We had lots of chances.”
While Hamilton and Whitfield try to get by Russia in their WJT semifinal in Geneva, Switzerland, this morning, two other Chiefs wind it up at the under-17 world championships in Red Deer, Alberta.
Blake Evans had two goals and an assist and was named MVP in Team West’s 5-4 win over the USA to start the week, Speltz said.
Evans, a 16-year-old rookie forward with the Chiefs, had an assist in Wednesday night’s 4-1 victory over Quebec.
Spokane defenseman Keyle Rossiter, with Team Pacific at the same tournament, is among his team’s top scorers.
Without them the Chiefs were shorthanded in Tri-City but the benefits of world competition make the sacrifice worth it, Speltz said.
James pleads guilty
Former WHL coach Graham James, who developed some of the NHL’s top stars, pleaded guilty Thursday to sex crimes involving former players.
James, who resigned in September as coach of the Calgary Hitmen, admitted two counts of sexual assault in a provincial court in Calgary.
The defense and prosecution made a joint submission on sentencing, proposing James serve 3-1/2 years in prison and have no contact with minors for 10 years.
The victims were not named.
The offenses took place between 1984 and 1994. James led the Swift Current Broncos to the Memorial Cup in 1989 as the best junior hockey team in North American. He also coached in Moose Jaw.
James helped produce NHL players Joe Sakic, Theo Fleury, Geoff Sanderson and Dean McAmmond.
Around the WHL …
The Seattle Thunderbirds, the surprise of the first half of the season, could get stronger down the stretch if Boston University left wing Dan LaCouture, 19, signs. Seattle has transferred LaCouture from its college list to its 50-man protected list. LaCouture, a second-round draft pick of the NHL New York Islanders, scored a goal in Team USA’s 4-4 tie with Canada in the ongoing World Junior Tournament. He left Boston after scoring six goals with one assist in 10 games.
The Portland Winter Hawks drew the fourth-largest crowd in WHL history Tuesday night for Seattle - 16,761. The Hawks continued to cruise, beating the T-Birds 3-1… . The Portland-Kelowna game Sunday night - knocked out by weather-related travel difficulties - has been rescheduled to Feb. 2… . The Chiefs can thank the Prince George Cougars for winding up in fourth place after the first half. The Kamloops Blazers slipped by Spokane into third in the WHL West by beating Prince George nine times in 11 meetings in the first three months of the season.
, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: ON DECK Kamloops at Spokane, Saturday, 7 p.m., Arena